Well surveying method and apparatus



June 1, 1943. w vG GREEN 2,320,863

WELL SURVEYING METHOD AND APPARATUS Filed June 2l, 1940,

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nieren stares PATENT oFFiCE" accosta weer. sanremo irsrnon am) srrsnsros G. Green, Tulsa, Gila., assigner to'Well Surveys, incorporated, Tulsa, Ghia., a corporation of llelaware Application .inne 2li, Mlm, Serial No. 341,753 i. (Cl. llt-311) invention relates to a method and anradioirequency and are preferably dissipated naratns for det when a cahle lowered from the supporting cable on one hand and from into an oil well or similar opening in the ground the enclosure for the transmitter, which is inreaches the hottorn of the opening, so that unsolated from the cable, on the other. They may,v

necessarir lengths of cahle will not Vhe lowered 5 however, be dissipated from a. loop antenna into the well and become tangled or fooled having either a vertical or horizontal axis. The therein. Y transmitter itself is generally of the type in com- Utten in the course of drilling oil wells and mon ose for surface radio transmission. The it hccoines necessary or desirable to frequency maybe anything desired from the very a cahle into the opening, usually for the io high to the very 10W- Ordnarily, the device Will ncurnose of lowering a surveying instrument or he used in open holes, that ls holes that have liite to maire measurements the opennot heen cased, but it can be operated even Sometimes it may he oesirahle merely to though the holes already have a. steel casing. In a canle into an opening to determine its the latter case, however, more power is required event, 1:chen a cahle is so lowered le for the transmitter and generally 2. 100D having int@ an opening in the ground and the opening a vertical amis makes the most desirable-antenna. oi considerable depth, it is practically inipos- At the surface any sensitive radio receiver may sihle to tell when the lower end of the coole he used, preferably operated from a. ground conreaches the hottomoi the opening hy merely ohnection, spaced some distance from the hole and serving that the saine has become slack. .a coole so the otherconnected to the cable. .When a verccnsinerahle Weight and when axis loop is used for transmission in a cased is ci some depth the Weight oi the cahle hole the liest reception will often he obtained continue to torce the. cable donn into the bei Usine a loop surrounding the top Cl' the Casing -L after the lower end has touchent as e. receiving antenna. Y

the hottom. This results in the possihle taneling es For a hotter understanding oi the principles the ecole also in the possible fenice Gi this invention and es en example of a Simple -v ie on the trails oi the seeming. form oi its application inv a practical Way, one e present; 'invention #ont in of device for the practice or" this invention 1 e has heen riiogrammatically shown inthe accomcahie opening hy i sig- Iiescrilltion thereof.

surface oi the earth n en this event is illust-,rated this device consists of a casing may he accomplished Toy attaching l@ suspended on s, cable il in a hole. The

u ransniittei enclosed in a nrotectlng cas cahle is insulated from the casing at il so that e lower enel oi the cable and there he no electrical connection between so it he operated when them the casing can he Used as one teminal H mieter comes to rest on bottoni the for the radiating circuit While the cable is used ce. switch may either start the transfor the other. Within, the casing it which is operating, stop it, change its frequency sealed so that no liquid or Enid may enter is a merely modulate its frequency with sonne secso radio Hausmittel w. 'the Output 0f which iS so and the following is a detailed i frequency. any event a signal is tmnsgrounded on one side and connected to the muted and this signal may he received ngo snrcahle il on the other. face .equipment and used as the desired m- The radin transmitter S Controlled by a, switch dication. ill which consists oi a U-shaped iron member lli me operating switch. :tor the transmitter may iii Stihiwld by a. Spring if@ and Carrying contacts he actuated in any manner found desirahle ont llthat cooperate with xed contacts i8 to comit is important that the transmitter he protected hfe o lul tha; COIIIOIS the amplifier S0 as rrcrn ninos in the well so it is desirable to to either Start its operation, stop its operation,

n the transmitter in a housing and avoid niotahle change its irequenoy, or modulate its frequency connections that entend through this housing for 5o when the contacts are closed. As it is normally the pressures encountered in deen wells are so held by the springs, the U-shaped iron member great that such movable connections are enl5 is in such a position that the contacts are treniely dimcnlt to seal against the entrance of Y onen. Y

llnicls. Y Suspended below the casing l0 is a permanent The signals to he transmitted are generally of 5 magnet l! slidahly carried on a bolt 2Q of brass or some non-magnetic material so that normally it is spaced far enough below the casing l0 that it will not affect the U-shaped iron member I5 within the case. However, the magnet I9 is so arranged that when the casing I0 reaches the bottom of the well it will rest upon the magnet I9 and the magnet will be pressed against the bottom of the casing where its effect will draw the U-shaped iron member I5 downward and close the contacts of the switch I6, thus actuating the oscillator and sending the desired signal out over the supporting cable and the casing to be radiated to the surface.

At the surface a radio receiver'l is connected between the earth and the supporting cable so as to receive the signal when it is emitted. Headphones 22 have been shown for the purpose of permitting the operator to hear the signal when it reaches the surface, but it will be apparent that a recorder or some other type of signalling means might replace the headphones. In fact, the radio receiver may be connected through relays to automatically stop the lowering of the cable when it touches the bottom. Arrangements may also be made to measure the length of the cable lowered into the earth so as to determine the depth of the opening.

Numerous other modications will also at once be apparent to those skilled in the art so it is to be understood that this invention is not limited to the specific embodiment shown in the drawing.

I claim:

A device for cable suspension within a deep 'well bore for locating the well bottom which comprises, a uid tight hollow capsule, electrical means within said capsule for transmitting a signal to a point exterior of the well bore, a normally open switch also within the capsule for controlling operation of said electrical means. an armature carried by said switch, said armature being interiorly supported from the capsule in proximity to the bottom wall thereof, magnetic Y means located wholly exteriorly of said capsule and means for supporting said magnetic means from said capsule for vertical sliding movement therebeneath, whereby when the magnetic means strikes the bottom of the well it is displaced upwardly toward the armature to increase the lines of force acting thereon sufliciently to cause the switch to be closed.

WILLIAM G. GREEN. 

